Improvement in axles for vehicles



`L MARTIN.

Axles for Vehicles. No. 344,278. Patentedmov,4,1a73'.

l/z'azeJJeJ. Invenolf.

UNITED STATEs PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS MARTIN, OF OSWEGO, NEW` YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN AXLES FOR VEHICLES.

Specification forming'part of Letters Patent bla-144,278, dated November4, 1873 application led rMarch 29, 1873.

diesv that stamp them into half-sections of an.

axle, and then uniting saidsections, one directly above the other, bycollars and through-bolts iu such manner that the sections will be heldtogether, and at the same time prevented from turning and chan gingtheir relative positions, as hereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of myimproved axle as applied to the connecting parts of a carriage or wagon;Fig. 2, a central longitudinal section through the axle, and Fig. 3, aplan view of one of the plates before it is placed between the dies toreceive the proper shape.

Inthe construction of my improved axle, I take a rectangular sheet ofiron or steel of proper thickness, and, by means of a templet, pattern,or gage of suitable form, shear oi' the corners to form tapering ends.The lengths of the sides of the blank thus formed correspond with thelength of the arm or journal of the axle, and one of its tapering sidesis inclined less than the other to give to the axle the suitable gather.The blanks are then heated and placed between dies in a drop-press thatgives to them the proper shape to form half-sections A B of the axle,the tapering ends of the blanks and the form of the dies being such thatwhen the half-sections are placed to gether the arm7 or journal of theaxle will have the required set7 and gather.77 The various holes forthrough-bolts, rivets, and for lubricating are then drilled at suitableplaces in the sections, and they are clamped together, one above theother, to form a tubular axle having a cylindrical body and taperingarms. Short pieces of tubing C C are secured interiorly to the ends ofthe arms O by rivets c c, and project outwardly, the exterior of the projectingparts being provided with screw-threads for receiving nuts D thatsecure the wheel to the axle. iron, the inner diameters of which areslightly smaller than the cylindrical portion or body of the axle, arethen shrunken on in the wellknown manner, and serve not only as ashoulder for the wheel, but also to clamp and strongly bind the twosections together. The ends of the hounds F rest in socket -platesplaced at the top of the upper sectionA of the axle, and a head block orbolster, G, rests upon and is mortised to receive the ends of thehounds, and serves to bind them together. Brace-rods H secured to thefore part of the hounds are connected to the lower section B of the bodyof the axle. Through-bolts I Il I2 pass through the ends of the braces,axle-sections, sockets, hounds, and head-block, and securely bind andclamp them together in such manner that the section Awill be heldsecurely at all times above the section B of the axlebody, by whichmeans the parts are securely connected together, and the sections moreeffectually prevented from separating. The oilholes K K are placed at aconvenient distance from the collars, and partitions or bulk-heads K Kextend across the lower half of the axle between the oil-holes, andserve as dams to prevent the oil from passing through the axle fromwheel to wheel and escaping through the bolt-holes. The dam forces theoil outwardly by means of the inclined plane, from whence it passesthrough an oilslot, la 7c, in the lower half ofthe axle, to the skein orhub of the wheel. rlhe axle-nut D can be removed to aiford access to theoilfount through the thimble when desired for cleansing the same. Thearms may be case-hardened, and are then turned and trued off in a lathein the well-known manner. The shape of the body of the axle may bechanged or varied to suit the fancy of the manufacturer, and additionaltrimmings may be attached to the same without departing from the spiritof my invention.

By the abovedescribed mode of construction, I obviate the necessity ofwelding the sections together, which can be but imperfectly done, and isan expensive operation..

The superior qualities of the metallic tubular axle-affordm g strength,light-ness and dura- Oollars E, preferably of wrought? two sectionsclamped together, one above the other, by shrunken collars andthrough-bolts, substantially as described.

2. The hollow sectional axle, bound together by through-bolts, havingpartitions to form oilreservoirs at either end, and also to prevent theescape of the lubricating material through the bolt-holes, substantiallyas set forth;

LEWIS MARTIN.

Witnesses F. S. Tl-IRALL, J. MA'rrisoN.

